Exterior entryways of modern homes and buildings often include cooperating pairs of swinging doors commonly referred to as double doors or French doors. Such doors include an inactive swinging door panel, and an adjacent active swinging door panel. The sets of doors may swing inwardly into the structure (so-called “inswing” doors), or may swing outwardly from the structure (so-called “outswing” doors). The inactive door panel typically includes a generally T-shaped astragal mounted along the entire extent of its non-hinged vertical edge. As used herein, the term “astragal” generally means an elongated member attached to and substantially coextensive with the non-hinged vertical edge of one of a pair of swinging double doors. In a conventional arrangement, an astragal is mounted along the non-hinged vertical edge of an inactive door panel, and provides a stop against which a cooperating active door panel strikes when both door panels are closed.
In its simplest form, an astragal consists of a single length of wooden molding attached along the non-hinged edge of an inactive door panel by screws, nails, or the like. Such simple astragals serve no role in fixing an inactive swinging door panel in a closed position in a doorway. Instead, special unrelated locking hardware is required for that purpose. Such locking hardware can be internally mounted within specially formed pockets or recesses within the housing of the inactive door panel or the astragal. Such pockets or recesses must be specially formed in the edge of the door by routing, milling, chiseling, or the like. The locking hardware typically includes independently operable top and bottom shoot bolts which are received in specially drilled bores in the top and bottom of the inactive door panel proximate to the door panel's non-hinged vertical edge. When extended, the top and bottom shoot bolts selectively engage aligned pockets or holes in the top jamb and doorsill of the associated doorway, thereby fixing the inactive door panel in a closed position. When retracted, the top and bottom shoot bolts permit the inactive door panel to swing open. Both the top and bottom shoot bolts typically are actuated by either a slide or lever mechanism either integral with the shoot bolts or installed along the non-hinged vertical edge of the inactive door panel.
Some modern astragals for inactive door panels include vertically moveable top and bottom shoot bolts disposed in a flush-mounted elongated housing. One such astragal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,326 to Endura Products, Inc., for example. Like the simple astragal described above, the housing of such locking astragals is surface-mounted along the non-hinged vertical edge of an inactive door panel, and provides a stop for a cooperating active door panel. When the inactive panel is closed and the top and bottom shoot bolts are vertically extended, the top and bottom shoot bolts are respectively received in pockets or holes in the top jamb and doorsill of the associated doorway, thereby fixing the inactive panel in a closed position. In order to permit the inactive panel to be opened, the top and bottom shoot bolts can be selectively retracted from their associated pockets or holes in the doorframe. The top and bottom shoot bolts can be vertically extended and retracted by a lever or slide actuating mechanism disposed within the housing. Unlike shoot bolt mechanisms that must be internally installed within specially formed recesses or pockets in a door, such locking astragals can be removably installed relatively easily on a substantially planar external surface or surfaces of an inactive door panel.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical double door entryway with an astragal. The entryway 11 includes an entryway frame or casing defined by spaced apart vertical jambs 12 and 13 and a horizontal head jamb or header 14. A threshold and sill assembly 16 spans the bottom of the jambs 12 and 13 to complete the entryway frame. A normally inactive door 17 is hinged to the left hand (as seen from the outside of the entryway) jamb 12 and a normally active door 18 is hinged to the right hand jamb 13. Of course, the normally inactive door just as well can be mounted to the right hand jamb with the normally active door mounted to the left-hand jamb. An astragal 19 is mounted to and extends along the vertical inside edge of the normally inactive door 17. The astragal 19, which historically is made of wood but that can be made of metal or other materials, has a generally T-shaped cross section and provides a vertically extending stop against which the active door 18 can close. Flush bolts (not visible in FIG. 1) usually are slidably disposed at the top and bottom of the astragal and are extendable into the head jamb 14 and the threshold and sill assembly 16 to secure the normally inactive door 17 in its closed position. In this way, the normally inactive door, which is opened only occasionally, is secured in its closed position to provide a solid stop for the normally active door and to provide security against a would-be thief. A strike plate 21 and a deadbolt strike 22 are mounted to the inside edge of the astragal 19 and are aligned to receive the latch and deadbolt of the normally active door when closed in the usual way. Weather stripping (not visible) typically is provided along the stop provided by the astragal 19 to seal against drafts and blown rainwater when the normally active door is closed against the stop.